Unveiling the Hidden Facts About Life as a Redhead
Redheads Are More Sensitive to Shifts in Temperature
When you read this article, you probably will figure that redheads are like superheroes. This is due to their heightened sensitivity to changes in temperature, relatively speaking. If there ever was a scientific study to prove our point, in 2005 a team from a pretty reputable university claimed redheads could a possess a gene that made their body aware of temperature fluctuations before everyone else. As reported in The Guardian, the gene responsible for red hair is believed to “over-activate” the gene that responds to heat.
If you want to know if summer is coming early, forget the groundhog and simply ask a redhead what they think is in store.
“Redheads Can Actually Tolerate More Pain Than Others”
An urban legend like this is something you’d probably expect to be false, but as it turns out, science actually proves what you heard about redheads and pain tolerance to be true. There is a real myth that redheads have a higher pain thresholdکم though on average their pain is less based on encounter. So studies have shown over the years. These studies examined stabbing, shocks and sharp pain in order to assess the capacity of redheads cushion more discomfort.
However, although redheads as a whole tend to have a higher pain tolerance than others, individual redheads are more sensitive than average to certain kinds of pain. Thus, due to these instances doctors and researchers claim that for the little may be added pain they do experience redheads are occasionally given extra doses of painkillers or sedatives.
“Redheads Are Historically Perceived as Funnier”
Don’t know if this one is scientifically supported, but it is historically — for whatever that is worth. Redheads have been considered to be funnier traditionally for the most part as most early American circus clowns wore red wigs. Since a great wave of Irish immigrants was arriving in the U.S., bringing with them red hair, this was partly the reason why red hair was becoming increasingly popular and prevalent.
However, since hundreds of years ago in Europe clowns have sported red hair, the wigs were by no means a new concept either.
“Red Hair Enables Some to Naturally Produce Their Own Vitamin D”
We all need vitamin D, and the majority of us get it by spending time in the sunlight. But because there is high concentration of redheads in northern European countries (hey, Ireland), where you don’t get as much sun, their bodies became more efficient in producing what vitamin D they do get. It has many health benefits, which include a reduced risk of conditions such as diabetes and arthritis.
It also means they effectively make their own vitamin D as they are unable to absorb as much as a person with more melanol 14. But they still must shine for brief stints in the sun.
“Turns Out, Producers Have a Preference for Redheads”
A third strange thing about redheads: Here They have one of the rarest colours of hair, but they are disproportianately represented in commercials. For example, a 2014 survey found that about 30 percent of all commercials contained a redhead — a surprisingly high percentage given how few redheads actually exist out there! This is quite a discrepancy considering only 2% of the population in the U.S. are even red heads!
CBS also has a record for featuring the highest number of redheads in their ads. The cause behind the over-representation isless clear — but certainly intriguing.
“Redheads May Be More Sexually Active Than Most”
Now, I should probably caveat that this was only a single researcher testing participants, with redheads being more sexually active than non-redhead counterparts, so *take with a grain of salt. * But the German researcher had conducted study after study, and they all told the same story. On average, the researcher found that redheads had sex approximately once more time a week than a average person. Though, yes, more studies are probably warranted to find out the reason why.
In fact — as if I even had to tell you this — redheaded men did not report significantly heightened amounts of sexual activity compared to men with other shades.
“Redheads Can Come from Any Part of the World”
As far as most people are concerned, red heads come from Ireland or Scotland. But people with red hair can come from places like Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Coincidentally, northern European countries have more redheads, for some reason. Morocco, surprisingly, appears to have a high red-headed population too. Some of these reasons are the Berber in north Africa, but that’s a difference case.
Well, if you’re wondering what we’re talking about, we recommend a few Google searches to check out redheads internationally because it’s an incredibly fascinating and gorgeous look.
“They Make Up Only About 2% of the U.S. Population”
Maybe you never even considered it, but just how rare is it to be a redhead? As it turns out, that’s very rare, at least if we’re talking about the U.S. In the U.S., about 2% of the population has red hair, and that estimate is probably high. This number, of course, varies by country. In countries such as Ireland that figure is nearer of 10%.
You could probably have guessed that the country with the highest capital — 4% of its population identified on social media as if they’d been born and battled hell in Glasgow — was not somewhere unexpected. Scottish people take red-headedness to another level, the place that accounts for over a whopping 13% of the population.
“Redheads Take Significantly Longer to Gray”
This fact is for anyone who has ever asked themselves if there was a way they could stop their hair from turning gray! It is also innate that those sporting red hair, take a lot longer than others, to go grey. However, red hair typically only fades slightly over a persons lifetime. They lose their color until it is copper and then blonde, then old — if they change at all.
Of course that doesn’t really aid the majority of us with hair colors other than red, but it’s neat to know if you happen to be one of those people.
“Red Hair Comes in a Variety of Shades”
This one may be a bit obvious, but there are actually many different hues of red hair. Some appear to be bright red, while others are of a darker color. Vibrancy is another level with different levels in many different levels by which affects how red hair will look. There are, however, approximately six or seven primary red hair colors (the actual colors within those colors may vary greatly from individual to individual).
The shades range from a bright strawberry red to a cinnamon brown, but they all fall under the category of red hair. The amounts of two specific types of melanin determine a person’s hair color.
“A Holiday Celebrating Redheads Exists”
It seems nowadays virtually every day of the year has its own holiday (which most of the time is someone just trying to sell you something), so of course there’d be one for red heads. Officially known as National Ginger Hair Day, the November 5 event is designed to encourage pride in red-haired folks the world over. Its also meant to let those with red hair to celebrate or recognise their trait or traits.
On May 26 of every year, people also celebrate World Redhead Day. They’re quite similar, but one is more U.S.- and U.K.-centric, while the other is a little more global.
“Redheads Typically Have Fewer Hairs Compared to Other Hair Types”
Why it might not be entitlement: This is one of those things you don’t really assign the “I was born this way” mentality to when you see someone with red hair. Generally speaking, you cannot tell a red head from a brown or blonde head, but red heads probably have fewer hairs on their heads. Redheads possess an average of 90,000 hairs on their head, while everyone else is a few thousand strands higher. Take brown-haired women, for example: they have roughly 140,000 strands of hair.
The reason you can never tell is that red hair is actually coarser so it appears that they have a full head of hair despite their low strand count.
“You May Have to Say Goodbye to Redheads Soon”
Here’s a neat little bit of trivia, albeit a somewhat depressing one if true. Other scientists believe red hair will die out slowly but surely over the next thousand years and be completely extinct by 2060, which is tragic. Luckily, just as many scientists (if not more) say this theory is highly unlikely. They argue that red hair can lay Idie for generations before coming back to life.
They also state that there’s nothing to fear as long as red haired individuals continue breeding. But, as another fact on this list points out, the gene for red hair is pretty nearly ubiquitous, so odds are all those people are not going to be failing to reproduce.
“Northwest European Surnames Often Derive from Red Hair”
Now moving on to some lesser-known red hair facts. Some of the most common surnames for British Isles locals references red hair. For instance, folks with a plethora of redheads and red eyebrows were called the last name Flannery. Bright red hair is also associated with the last name Flynn, so early family members likely had bright red hair as well.
Next we have Reid, an old English name that means red-haired person. There are various variants of the name found across Scandinavian countries.
“Individuals with Red Hair Have an Increased Risk of Parkinson’s Disease”
Having red hair comes with a reduced risk of some illnesses but an increased risk of other diseases. Such as some studies have determined that red haired people have a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease, skin cancers and rare brain disorders. For instance, it has been found in some of these studies that the same gene that gives us red hair inhibits the amount of dopamine found in the brain and so affects a person’s risk of Parkinson’s.
Instagram/deine_lieblingsmenschen
For all that, other studies have ruled out an increased risk for Parkinson’s in redheads, so further studies are needed to determine whether there’s a connection or not.
“Redheads Require More Anesthesia Than Most”
One more fact on this list that relates to redheads is that redheads can endure higher levels of pain than the average person It also means that they require larger amounts of painkillers and sedatives. Doctors are also typically warned to give them about 20 percent more anesthesia than would ordinarily be given to the average patient. That is a damn hefty percentage increase, particularly for a good part of anesthesia.
Which is why the science of how much extra pain medication is required and specifically why is ongoing so it is not widely agreed upon however is also becoming common with far higher rates of opio detectors.
“Sometimes, Dark Hair Can Transform to Red”
Ever since you were a kid, wanted red hair but weren’t born to be a redhead? You might still be able to, though, if you have dark hair. These are all caused by some very rare conditions which are caused by deficiency in a protein and can cause hair to turn red. It is known as Kwashiorkor and aligns with areas of the world where individuals grow without protein. Yet in those who do, it can also lead to rashes and edema.
Red hair was first identified in 1932 in children following the development of their red hair (and, while red haired people are indeed very cool people, you should probably not attempt to get Kwashiorkor so that your hair can also turn red).
“The First Redhead Was a Prince, According to Legend”
Alright, so this isn’t really a fact. It’s actually completely the other way, but figured it would be cool to share right here. Therein lies a legend that the first redhead capitally referred to as Idon of Mu was indeed a prince. The prince is said to have been to the lost city of Atlantis and after being exposed to the red atmosphere, his hair became a bright fiery red.
Shutterstock/Salma Bashir Motiwala
Now that said, the legend appears to be quite a years old story, as we cannot see anything referring to more than a couple of decades. Mu is yet another legendary medieval name for Atlantis, but I think we can assume this one is legend through and through.
“Historically, People Believed Red Hair Was Linked to Menstruation”
It’s just that, in retrospect, you can’t help but chuckle a little at some of the idiotic stuff people used to believe. At some point in the past, it was believed that if children came out, say, red-haired, it meant someone conceived at a time when there was a red period. That might sound ridiculous now, but the idea was that the blood was unhealthy for the man’s genitals, and in the end, you got a red-headed child. Naturally, we are wiser today.
But even if it’s a little bit sad, entertaining a bit still, for all those children of the 80s and the 1970s who had the misfortune to be born a ginger.
“Redheads Have Historically Played Significant Roles”
Even though it is a rarity, history is littered with famous redheads. For instance, Cleopatra, Napolean Bonaparte, and Thomas Jefferson — to name just a few, have been commonly believed to have red hair. Rest assured that there exists somewhere out there a long and notable list of famous redheads if you are into other famous redheads but either way they all point to redheads having a fairly outsized historical role. And we haven’t even touched on pop culture’s most recognizable modern gingers, like Ed Sheeran, Conan O’Brien, and others.
The Columbia Metropolitan reported that about 18 percent of all U.S. presidents have had red hair, which is a very unequal share given that only about 2 percent of people have red hair.
“Red Hair and Blue Eyes Are a Rare Combination”
Some immediately think of people with red hair as people with blue eyes, for some odd reason, and this is not true a lot of the time. Since both red hair and blue eyes are rarer than most, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that their pairing would be fairly rare. Well as it happens there have actually been studies done on this, and the answer they came up with for the combination of red hair and blue eyes is 0.17% of the population.
This means that, for a child with red hair to be born, both parents must carry the gene for red hair, and, for a blue-eyed child to be born, both parents must carry the gene for blue eye color.
“A List of Hollywood’s Most Talented Redheads”
So, the following list is hardly a scientifically-grounded article (you can thank us later for the slightly closer in proximity produce imperfection-spiral), but we thought we’d compile together some of Hollywood’s best and biggest known redheads. Given that there are a lot of redheads in Hollywood, frankly, it wasn’t all that tricky to fill out this list. Even though red hair is rare, there are tons of redhead stars in show business.
Then you have some of the most famous of the redheads that Hollywood seems to have an inordinate amount of compared to the general population, just like commercials.
Isla Fisher
Isla Fisher44) Australian actor introduced to the world as another redhead in the gang’s Daphne in 2002’s Scooby Doo. Since then, though, she’s appeared in a few very different roles, and is also married to controversial comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (this actually isn’t too surprising, seeing as she, too, has starred in a lot of comedies and is generally a pretty funny gal).
Fisher’s parents, perhaps not very surprisingly, are both Scottish. Both of her parents had a gene for red hair, and even today, Scotland has the highest percentage of redheads anywhere.
Brittany Snow
Another redhead most likely you a seen in one of your favorite shows or movies. Many famed actors have begun with roles on a soap, and the same applies to Brittany Snow, as she originated on Guiding Light. But since then she’s starred in a number of movies and series like Pitch Perfect and John Tucker Must Die. More recently, she has turned her focus to activism, working against bullying. An anti-bullying activist, she co-founded the Love is Louder organization.
She produced and directed a few different films as well and is still active in Hollywood. She has recently written a book called September Letters — which I saw on her Instagram.
Amy Adams
Amy Adams is likely the most famous redhead in Hollywood and for two good reasons. Well, for one, she’s a solid performer and has snagged a few Oscar nominations for movies like American Hustle, The Fighter, The Master, and a few more. But, those are just a small fraction of the number of iconic films she has appeared in the extensive list goes on. In fact, at this point she is almost famous for not getting an Oscar that she probably deserved.
But, honestly, it is just a matter of time before she takes home that and so much more — especially after we just saw her acting skills in big movies and why she charms the camera.
Rachel McAdams
If there is one thing Rachel McAdams is known for, it is playing an iconic role, disappearing for a little while, and then reemerging with a vengeance with his role from Spotlight. Her achievements range from several awards, and her career is basically just begun. She also appeared in several other classic movies, including Wedding Crashers, The Notebook, Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Strange, Midnight in Paris, and Mean Girls and many many more.
She rarely went back to this hair style, usually seen as blonde or brunette in her film work, but there was a phase where she donned red hair during her Hollywood youth.
Debra Messing
While not quite a household name like some others on this list, Debra Messing was part of one of the all-time greatest shows, Will and Grace. She’s also featured in some decently-pedigreed films beyond this, including Along Came Polly and Dirty Dancing (2017). Since Will and Grace, she’s also guested on various shows and continues to be a Hollywood fixture.
In recent times, she has been very vocal about her political beliefs and has supported the recent writer’s strike in Hollywood urging for better pay for writers and creatives.
Emma Stone
Emma StoneEmma Stone is a famous redhead phase riddled with betrayal, lies profanity and the darkest of dark magic — the Mortal Kcombat. Who, While not a natural redhead, has had red hair for who knows how long and is basically in the hall of fame for redheads by now. And she’s appeared in damn funny movies like Superbad (which, I’ll note that if you haven’t watched you should), La La Land, and Easy A, so she’s been on a tear recently really.
Now, granted, Stone also won an Oscar for best actress, so that probably tells you everything you need to know about her career, which has been going extremely well.
Judy Greer
Judy Greer is that actress you know from a TV show or movie that you just can’t remember the name of. Well, that was the philosophy behind her 2014 book, I Don’t Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star, for the actress and author. Rather a fitting name, and we haven’t read the book, but if it’s by Greer you can count on it being awesome.
Well, she has played a lot of putting rolls over her many years including roles at The Development, The Archer and Two and A Half Men. Oh, and she was in the first Jurassic Park.
Jayma Mays
Jayma Mayes made her debut on the short-lived Friends spin-off Joey. The show may not have had much mileage, but Mays has certainly hung around Hollywood and scored a myriad of iconic roles. She’s appeared in Glee, The Smurfs, Red Eye, House and Epic Movie. Wishing she could ride horses in New York City, the actress frequently calls out her red hair as a differentiator and writes on her Instagram: “I’ll own that I am definitely quirky. I know that I’m different. Having red hair was certainly different when I was growing up.”
Over the years, she’s also hosted a few different advocacy initiatives — among them, the classic ice bucket challenge for ALS.
Heather Graham
Heather Graham — Another not-so-household name, but one you love to see is starring in a random movie. We first knew her from 1998 License To Drive, but her perhaps most memorable role lately was her cameo in The Hangover. However, she’s also appeared in Scream and Drugstore Cowboy and Austin Powers, so they weren’t her first rodeo.
Her gave a background in films by now she also occasionally makes a presence in films as she’s declared to working behind-the-scenes of things in the latter future, and to directing films by now.
Alyson Hannigan
Alyson Hannigan this late 1990s/early 2000s actress makes our list of the most iconic But she really started acting at an extremely young age — like, four years old young. However, her performance in American Pie, for sure remains one of her most iconic. But she is probably more familiar to you from the acclaimed series How I Met Your Mother, depending on your age. Regardless, Hannigan has enjoyed quite the career.
And we literally played her but then didn’t forget her other major role Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Once again, she headlined some of our all-time favorite series and films.
Maitland Ward
If you remember Boy Meets World growing up, Maitland Ward might look familiar to you. The actress portrayed Jack and Eric’s roommate. Ward’s a little bit older now — and so is her career, which continues as an actress, but in a different, adult direction. Today an adult film star, she has spent the years since voicing aversion to the practice of shaming women over their bodies.
“With so much body shaming towards women and criticism over sexy shots,” she said. “I think women should be able “What with all this body shaming of ladies, and the flack regarding sexy shots… I say ladies, get it how you can, and the haters can just go have a cold shower,” she has stated.express themselves however they want, and the haters should go take a cold shower.”
Bonnie Wright
Probably the most famous ginger family in history, and Bonnie Wright was a family member. Wright played Ginny Weasley, the sister of Ron from the fictional family featured in the Harry Potter series. Ever since her acting career has kind of muffled but she has appeared in many indie films with around 23 credits on IMDB credits.
She has also directed a few movies since her first one, Harry Potter. She got married in California last year, and Well, she has also made a few other movies since her time in Harry Potter. This year, she was the subject of wedding photos from California that spread over the internet.of the event were all over the internet.
Sarah Snook
Sarah Snook may not be as widely known as some of the other gingers on this list, but mark my words, the longer she stays in Hollywood, the more popular she will become. Snook’s appeared in a couple of guest spots on shows and had some bigger movie roles, like in Steve Jobs. But she is perhaps most recognized for her role as Shiv Roy on Succession.
You’re bound to see her around more either on TV or more films, given her stellar run pretty much everything she’s been in.
Laura Prepon
Even thoughLaura Prepon projects nothing but blonde vibes now, she was obviously everyone’s favorite redhead as playing Donna in That ’70s Show. No surprise to some — she used to be a model. Since That ’70s Show, she has starred in Orange Is The New Black and, most recently, That ’90s Show. After all, she’s still Prepon, and her 11 million Instagram followers would no doubt agree.
She’s also married to another quite well known redhead, Ben Foster, and the pair of them even have a red headed baby. Hence it’s probably fair to say that red never leaving in Cornwall (as mentioned earlier in this list).
Kate Mara
And if you know anything about Hollywood, then you know that it’s not unheard of for some of your favorite actors to be connected to another in the industry. Same goes for ginger Kate Mara (her sister is also a movie star, Rooney Mara). Kate has appeared in a number of well-known films, such as The Martian, We Are Marshall, and Shooter. She has had a couple of hit T.V. series as well.
To make matters worse, she’s related to the founders of the Giants and the Steelers, so it’s understandable if she is asked every now and then about the NFL while her body is on the red carpet.
Deborah Ann Woll
Those who watch the vampire show True Blood probably know Deborah Ann Woll and her character fairly well. The actress was a staple in the show, but she’s also played in a couple different superhero related shows over the years in the likes of Daredevil, The Punisher and The Defenders. It only makes sense that all her roles are as she is also a dungeon master for a D&D podcast and stream that is still running.
In 2022, she provided the voice for a character in the critically acclaimed video game God of War Ragnorak. Long story short, she seems like a dope person to chill with.
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore has been a Hollywood icon and batter in a few successful films, such as The Big Lebowski, Jurassic Park, and Boogie Nights. Over the years, she has also checked off awards from her list, including an Academy Award for best actress. More recently, she’s been working primarily in indie films. But surely she has enough on her plate — like a fairly lucrative writing and children’s book career.
The rest of the book sounds like the perfect story about a redhead: Her first children’s book tells the story of a girl who wants to get rid of her freckles before realizing she loves them, Freckles are beautiful!
Christina Hendricks
Full disclaimer of the way vintage Hollywood would have us do it: Christina Hendricks is not a natural redhead. She’s really a blonde, but she’s on this list because her hair transitioned years ago from the right shade to red– and it’s been red apparently ever since. So basically: honorary redhead and we’re sure the community welcomes her with open arms—she once was named the sexiest woman alive by Esquire, after all. Her choice in hair color was well, she loved Anne of Green Gables.
And similar to the rest on this list, she, too, is a highly successful actress, appearing in Mad Men, Drive, Bad Santa, Toy Story 4, and Good Girls, to name a few.
Tilda Swinton
Perhaps Tilda Swinton is one of the most profitable blushing redheads that graced cinema screens ever, Over the years, she has received numerous awards for her roles in big Hollywood movies and small indie films. She has appeared in films such as Doctor Strange and The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Isle of Dogs, The Royal Tenebaums, and Caravaggio. Long story short, Swinton has achieved what many in Hollywood can only dream of.
Shutterstock/Everett Collection
She has also hardly ever dyed her signature fire-red hair, and it appears that she is often wearing it in whatever film she appears in. Though she did shave her head for roles, once for Doctor Strange.
Sophie Turner
You’re likely well acquainted with Sophie Turner of Game of Thrones fame. Her red hair was tied to a few plot points in the show, where she played iconic Sansa Stark. She also had red hair when she played Jean Gray in one of the X-Men movies, but apparently she’s not really a redhead. Actually receiving the Kali treatment, Turner is naturally blonde, but the red hair is now a staple of her appearance.
These days she turns up in more and more films so it seems her star is rising. We are confident that this will not be the last we see of her in many more projects to come.
Jessica Chastain
While Jessica Chastain is a bit newer on the scene compared to many of the other redheads on this list, she still leaves her mark. In 2012, Chastain received an Oscar nomination for her performance in ZD30. But she’s actually been in a ton of other high-profile movies this whole time, including one of our personal favorites Interstellar, but also The Help, Lawless, and The Martian.
For most of these films, she was either nominated for an award or went on to win an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
